Suppression of Babesia microti infection in mice concurrently infected with Fasciola hepatica

Blood cell parasitaemia of Babesia microti and the associated haematological changes were examined in mice harbouring patent Fasciola hepatica infections and in fluke-free control mice. B. microti parasitaemia was markedly suppressed in mice harbouring primary 7-week F. hepatica infections, as reflected in a reduction in the percentage of erythrocytes parasitised and in the incidence of multiple B. microti infections in the red cells. This suppression was accompanied by an annulment of B. microti induced reductions in haemoglobin and haematocrit levels in F. hepatica infected mice. In naive recipient mice, inoculated with blood from mice concurrently infected with F. hepatica and B. microti, the course of B. microti infection was characterised by a prolonged pre-parasitaemia period, a reduced peak parasitaemia and a delayed fall in haematocrit levels as compared to those inoculated with blood from mice infected with B. microti only. This feature may presumably be dose-related. The present study does not reveal the actual mechanism(s) involved in the suppression of the blood protozoan by F. hepatica. However, since B. microti has a preference for mature erythrocytes, the suppression may be a result of the altered erythrocyte kinetic state induced by the removal of erythrocytes by the blood-sucking fluke resulting in high levels of reticulocytes.